You mean you have practiced trapping but you can't do any while sparring. So you are far from good at it.

I think you make too much out of trapping. Are you saying that you can't grab/check a opponents arm/leg before he moves or after deflecting or checking and strike/punch/eblow/knee or kick?? What rule would stop you from doing that???

Trapping doesn't have to be complicated or always look like a Wing Chun demo or Bruce Lee movie. If you were good at it it might.

lion - try slowing it down. don't worry about sparring until you get the feel for the contact and resistance involved in trapping. play "push hands", ask questions... it's not that hard if you take it in steps. you need to get over "burger king syndrome" (your way right away). it's not how MA works, esp. jun fan, jkd or anything along these lines.and boasting that you're the best in your class when you can't even perform the skill is purely arrogant. humble up.

well it's very simple really actually the truth is is that trapping is very hard to pull off in actual combat that's one reason that it's not working well in sparring. the other reason would be that maybe your trapping technic is not simple enough to work well in sparring. another reason could be that you simply don't spar enough. and also in sparring you shouldn't worry about getting hit or you will. just don't really worry or think to hard just spar and let it be what it is. the more you practice this way the better your control over your emotions and instincts will be. so basicly simplify your technics if their not simple enough and spar alot.

I'm not a big fan of classical (compound) trapping in the Wing Chun sense.

That said, trapping has a better chance of working when your opponent is on defense. In other words, he blocks in reaction to a strike. That's when (theoretically) an opportunity to trap the arm is available.

The problem is that most people are too busy attacking to be on the defensive - especially in street fights. Most guys are gunning for your head. Trying to trap at that time is asking to be knocked out, especially if your opponent is bigger and stronger than you are.

Simple trap U step forward faking an attack, the guy backs away, You raise your foot side kick fashion as he plants you step on his foot/instep /behind his ankle as he pulls away he stumbles, you knock down his front hand hold/check it, and punch over it. You just trapped his foot and his hand.

Simple trap he reacts to your rear hand fient, by leaning away leaving his front hand you strike at his head, he raises front hand to block, you trap his blocking hand by grabing and pull him into your kick doesn't matter what kick. You can release or follow with hand blast.

Doesn't look like Wing Chun trapping but it could. The main thing is to control/occupy his mind/body with the trapped limb so that you can hit him, and its difficult for him to hit you. Note these simple traps won't work unless you are really good on an experience Kung-fu, JKD or Karate Man. As mentioned a experince fighter can hurt U trying to trap. They have seen them too many times.

Maybe a novice, pending how fast you are and how really good you are at trapping. When you can pull off these simple traps sparring then you have the basic of trapping.

Perhaps you are not able to trap your opponents because they know you are trying to trap them. If they know you are trying to trap, it is very difficult to pull off. They start getting short arm syndrome and you end up grasping air or a very difficult appendage.

Also, trapping works great against many styles and types of fighters. Especially if the other guy has not trained in trapping. However, if you are trying to trap your training partners who also know and train the traps that you do, you lose the surprise value of trapping.

Try doing it slowly, don't go out sparring thinking "I'm going to trap this guy all day long until he won't dare to even punch". That's not a good attitude. Trapping happens when he starts guessing and is really defensive.

So my advice, be offensive and defensive all the time. Suddenly attack, then retreat, attack, retreat, until you feel he's starting to know your rhytm, and now you attack or feint, and DON'T retreat, he'll be thinking, you will retreat but you're not, and then well, do your stuff, trap, block, throw, counter, parry, whatever.

This tactic doesn't work on overly aggressive people that don't care if they get hit, mostly MMA, grapplers and some stand-up fighters like MT, Stalker Boxer[Foreman/Tyson style]. When you punch or feint, they won't flinch, the'll sometimes happily recieve and give back more. It's called Drunken Boxing or Interchange boxing, or more rudely, Fisting exchange.

Good Luck and try think clearly, or don't think at all, your body will start doing its stuff instinctly after a few weeks?

-Taison

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I got two fists.. Don't make me use my head as well!